Pistons welcome Nuggets to the Palace

(Sports Network) - So far the Denver Nuggets' road trip has been a rocky one
and they are set to play back-to-back games, starting with Tuesday's showdown
with the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Nuggets are 1-2 on a five-game sojourn and dropped a 112-106 decision
against the New York Knicks Sunday night. Denver had to deal with the return
of Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony, who netted 34 points after missing two
straight games with a laceration on his finger.

Ty Lawson led six Denver players in double figures with 23 points to go along
with six assists and four rebounds. Danilo Gallinari had 21 points and nine
boards, while Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer both scored 15 points in the
setback, Denver's fifth in the past seven games.

"We have to learn how to finish games better," Gallinari said.

Denver was outscored 32-22 in the fourth quarter and committed 16 turnovers,
which led to 22 points for the hosts. On a positive note, the Nuggets posted
25 fastbreak points and are averaging 19.6 fastbreak points in their past
nine contests.

The Nuggets are 5-10 away from the Pepsi Center this season and will close out
the road swing Wednesday in Minnesota.

Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince netted 19 and 16 points, respectively, for
the Pistons, who lost for the fifth time in their last seven tries and shot
39.5 percent for the game.

Detroit did pull within 98-95, but couldn't hit the shots it needed down the
stretch. It had a 49-46 halftime lead until the Sixers opened the third
quarter on a 14-0 run.

"We had some great looks at the rim that unfortunately didn't go in," Pistons
coach Lawrence Frank said.

The Pistons are back at home, where they have lost two straight and own a 5-5
record. The Pistons are 1-10 when allowing 100 points this season and are
quite strong on the defensive end, yielding 97.1 ppg. Denver is averaging
100.7 ppg this season -- ninth in the NBA.

Denver defeated Detroit 109-97 back on Nov. 6 this season at the Pepsi Center
and has won five straight in the series. The Nuggets, though, haven't had much
success at The Palace, losing 14 of the last 15 matchups there.

The Nuggets snapped a 14-game slide in Auburn Hills with a 109-100 win on Jan.
26, 2011.